1. Field of the Invention
A diagnostic apparatus for detecting a presence of breast cancer in a patient.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various diagnostic apparatuses and methods are utilized in the fields of cancer research and treatment to detect a presence of cancer in patients. Known apparatuses often utilize at least one stationary thermographic camera for recording thermographic images of the breasts of the patient which are thereafter analyzed to detect symptoms of cancer. Such diagnostic apparatuses typically require ether a plurality of stationary thermographic cameras or a shifting of the entire diagnostic apparatus relative to the patient to record thermographic images of the breasts. One such diagnostic apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,292,719 to Boaz Arnon. Even with multiple thermographic cameras or relative movement of the diagnostic apparatus, the resultant thermographic images often do not adequately capture all aspects of the breasts necessary to conduct a complete analysis of the breasts to detect for the presence of breast cancer. Accordingly, these systems and methods do not complete a thorough analysis of the breasts of the patient and thus may lead to the test results in some cases being inaccurate. Additionally, these apparatuses suffer from other drawbacks, such as high equipment and operation costs for doctors that are ultimately passed onto patient, necessarily reducing the number of patients who participate in the breast screening due to its high out-of-pocket expense.
Other known diagnostic apparatuses and methods of detecting a presence of cancer subject the patient to a cold stress for a predetermined period of time during the diagnostic test. The use of the cold stress is based on the recognition that blood vessels that feed cancerous tumors in breasts, i.e., angiogenic blood vessels, have a different anatomical structure than normal blood vessels, causing such angiogenic blood vessels to constrict to a lesser degree than normal blood vessels in response to a cold stimulus that is applied to the body of a patient. As such, the temperature associated with normal blood vessels decreases to a greater extent than angiogenic blood vessels when the body of the patient is exposed to the cold stimulus.
One example of a diagnostic apparatus and method utilizing a cold stress is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,558,618 to Darin S. Williams (hereinafter “Williams”). As set forth in the background section of Williams, a control thermographic image of the breasts of the patient is first recorded, after which the hands of the patient are subjected to a cold stress by placing the hands of the patient in a bucket of ice water. After the hands of the patient are cold stressed, a test thermographic image of the breasts of the patient is recorded. The control and test thermographic images are compared with one another to identify regions of the breasts in which the temperature remained substantially unchanged after the cooling of the hands.
Like the previously mentioned diagnostic apparatuses and methods, these cold stress apparatuses and methods do not adequately capture all aspect of the breasts necessary for an accurate detection of breasts cancer at least in part because stationary cameras are utilized. Furthermore, such apparatuses and methods require a technician to be in the room at all times to facilitate the application of the cold stress and to record the thermographic images of the patient. Therefore operational costs necessarily increase from the added labor costs, leading to higher out-of-pocket expense for patients. Additionally the patient is afforded low levels of privacy when they disrobe for the recording of thermographic images. These factors are known to make patients weary of undergoing such examinations, and reduce the number of patients who participate in breast screening.
Accordingly, there remains a need for apparatuses and methods of detecting cancer that are more accurate, reliable, affordable and provide for high levels of privacy for a large number of patients.